Improvement in railroad-switches



J. A. GREEN RAILROAD-SWITCH.

No.171,796. Patented .T.a.n.4,1876.

m A W ".FEI'ERS, PHOTO-LITNOGRAPHER. WASHINGTON. Q (1 UNITED STATES PATENT QFFIGE.

JAMEs ADAM GREEN, 0F HAMILTON, oANADA.

IMPROVEMENT IN RAILROAD-SWITCHES;

Specification forming part of Letters Patent N0. 1'7 L796, dated January 4, 1876 application filed February 2, 1874.

To all whom itmay concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES ADAM GREEN, of the city of Hamilton, in the county of Wentworth, in the Province of Ontario, Dominion of Canada, have invented new and useful Improvements in Device for Operating Railway-Switches and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the construction and operation of the same.

Figure l is a side View of the operating device. Fig. 2 is a plan of the device and track.

The object of the device is to prevent trains running off the track at switches, and it is so arranged and constructed that when a switch has been left open the wheels of a passing train will act ona series of rods, which operate on a V-slotted plate and pin, and draw over the switchrails on a line with the main track before the locomotive reach es the switchrails, and thus prevent a train from running ofl the track.

By reference to the drawing, it will be seen that I first construct a metal bed-plate, A, and securely bolt it to the timbers alongside of the railroad-track. The said bed-plate is furnished with a groove in its; upper side, in which is made to slide an iron plate, B, having a V-shaped slot in its center, into which is made to operate a pin, L, as will be more fully shown hereafter. Attached to the V- shaped slide is a connecting-rod, P, which connects it to the operating-lever G. H is a connecting-rod, one end of which is bolted to the right end of the slide B, and the other to a small crank-lever, I. J is a rod, one end of which is attached to the said crank-lever, and the other passing under the rails, and is secured in a box, which is bolted to the rails. It is furnished with a short upward projection or bend, which is the part that is operated on by the wheel of a locomotive. K is a guard-plate, hinged to the sleeper, and made to rest upon the said projection a, for the purpose of reducing the friction or jar caused by the sudden contact of the locomotive-wheel coming in contact with it. It may or may not be used, as seen fit. G is a metal plate, made to pass through the bed-plate A, or slide in a groove in its under side. At its inner end is secured a rod, and its outer end bolted to the movable switch-rails E E. The locking-pin L is fastened to the said sliding plate 0, and operates in the V-slot of the top sliding plate. R is a signal-post, to which is secured the signal S. The said post is placed near the sliding plate B. There is a slotted plate attached to the post R near the bottom with a pin, 6, connecting the said slotted plate to the sliding plate B, by which means the signal is always regulated by the movements of the adjusting device and position of the switch. M is a lever, attached to the rod N, said rod being bolted to the switchrail for assisting to operate the device by hand.

By reference to Fig. 2 it will be observed that as the rails are drawn the switch is open, and a train coming from the left would run on the siding, and a train coming from the right to the left would run off the track if it were not for my device for pushing the switch-rail back to its place-in the following manner, for instance: If the switch should, by accident or design, be left open, and a train approaching from the right, the front wheel of the locomotive comes in contact with the projection of the connecting-rod J at the point K, and, by means of the crank I'and' rod H, a backward motion is given to the V-slotted plate B, which, by means of the pin L, fastened to the under plate 0, is acted upon, and as the switch-rail is connected to the said plate 0 by the rod Q, the said rails are pushed over in a straight line with the main rails and locked. The pin L is then at the bottom of the said slot.

The device can also operate a double, as well as a single, siding.

its advantages are: trains cannot run off the track if the switch has been left open by accident or design, as one of the front wheels of a locomotive draws over the switch by means above described.

What I claim as my invention is- The combination of the bed-plate A, slid- .i ng plate B, having a V-shaped slot, the sliding plate 0, having a pin, L, the connectingrod Q, rods H and J, the projection a, plate K, and crank 1, all substantially as and for the object specified.

Dated at Hamilton, Canada, this 29th day of January, 1874..

JAMES ADAM GREEN. Signed in the presence of-- WM. BRUCE, WM. B. BRUCE. 

